our first game is called 'well begun is half done'

Yes, it’s true, and I'm sorry: this blog has been without babysitting-esque stories lately.

Yesterday around noon, the phone rang at the exact moment a few blonde hairs appeared below the kitchen window. I ran the phone outside as C2 hopped from one rock to the next along the edge of the flower bed and then plopped down in the mud. He tucked the phone under his ear and began to dig.

“Hello, sir? … No, sir. … What am I doing? … Oh, I’m planting a sunflower, sir.”

C2 passed the phone back to me and continued to poke at the dirt and make room for the plant he uprooted (ahem) from the creek in his neighborhood. He stuck the long roots into the bottom of the mini-pit and shoved gravel around its perimeter to help it stand. The length of the flower made its head unusually top-heavy, but the core remained firm. C2 stood up and shook his head, dirt flying everywhere, and marched back into the air conditioning.

An hour later, we walked back outside, and he paused to check on his prized plant. The top fourth of the sunflower drooped toward the earth. As my little gardener crawled to examine it, I asked him what he thought the problem was. He lunged for the hose to rehydrate the flower and then stopped and looked up at me.

“I don't know. Maybe it’s in shock.”

He nodded then knelt back down to tend to his project.

So, why has my blog lacked Nanny Diaries' posts? I don't know. Maybe it’s in shock.